Wanjiru Kihoro

There are few African women as well known as Wanjiru Kihoro, who has died, aged 53, in Nairobi after being in a coma for four years following a plane crash. When in exile from Kenya, where she was born, she was in demand in Addis Ababa, welcome in the US, at home in Britain, busy in West and South Africa, and loved, but also hated, back in Kenya.

She began her career early after graduating in economics at Columbia University, New York. She then worked with the All African Conference of Churches, the National Christian Council of Kenya and the United Church Board for World Ministries, all of which took her travelling and working with senior officials. It was probably that experience which gave her the courage to rebel against the government of Daniel Arap Moi.

When she and Wanyiri Kihoro, her husband, arrived in London in exile in 1982 Moi's arrests had intensified, particularly among academics and lawyers. Wanjiru was secretary of the London-based Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners in Kenya.

Kenya News was one of the most influential products of the committee; and Wanjiru not only did technical work but was one of the main writers. Moi's government was only too aware of the influence of Kenya News - his special branch came to London to investigate the committee and, of course, Wanjiru, but it underestimated her.

In 1984 Wanjiru began working at the Africa Centre in Covent Garden. For seven years, she organised and hosted conferences, lectures and publications. Many of these were for women and it seemed natural that Wanjiru should help found Akina Mama wa Afrika, taking the training back to the continent. Her position as an Oxfam trustee (1994-2001) helped - reciprocally. ABANTU for Development, which she founded in 1991, was concerned with the development of women who could train others for positions of leadership. She set up ABANTU offices in Nairobi and in Nigeria, followed by Ghana.

Two shifts in her life occurred during the 80s and 90s. First in 1987, she found time to study, doing an MA and then a PhD in economics at Leeds. The second was the arrest by Moi's special branch of her husband. Wanyiri was initially imprisoned in a flooded cell in the basement of Nyayo House, a government tower block in Nairobi. No wife with this knowledge, also at risk and looking after their three children, could ignore the distress. But Wanjiru had amazing balance. Her vulnerability was there in her poetry and writings, but she sang a true song.

A natural consequence was that, back in Kenya, especially after the new government was elected in 2002, she became a consultant. It was in 2003 that she was in the plane crash that left her in a coma.

She is survived by her husband and four children, Wangui, Pambana, Amandla and Wairimu.

· Wanjiru Kihoro, activist, born September 9 1953; died October 12 2006